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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Baklava King Review

What do you think of when you envision holiday desserts? I think of pumpkin or apple pie, cinnamon cakes, and of course peppermint bark, among others.  One seasonal treat that people don't always consider a part of the holidays is baklava. It is a wonderful holiday dessert.  Go ahead and delight your guests' stomach with this sweet and nutty treat.  It certainly deserves a spot on your holiday dessert table this year!



Baklava King is truly the kingdom for all of your baklava and borek needs.  If you aren't familiar with baklava, you're in for a true treat.  Baklava is a dessert originating in the Middle East that's made from phyllo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and soaked in a honey syrup.  It is absolute heaven.  Boreks consist of thin pastry dough filled with cheese, spinach, or ground meat.  They are either baked or fried.  Baklava King was founded in San Diego in 2002 and has been serving gourmet baklava and borek pastry varieties made with the finest all American ingredients ever since.  If you're looking for unique baklava flavors, how about delighting your taste buds with walnut, pistachio, or chocolate pistachio baklava? You can't forget to try the almond, cinnamon, or hazelnut flavors either! If you're looking for a savory borek, why not try a spinach and feta flavor, or a kalamata borek puff? There are so many flavors available for anyone's tastes and preferences.  The baklava and boreks are shippable which can make perfect Christmas presents for the foodie in your life. 

My love affair with baklava started only last week! It was on the dessert menu at a restaurant I was dining at.  I've always heard good things about the sweet treat and I wanted to try it.  From the minute I stuck my fork into the dessert and brought it to my mouth, I was in love.  The kind of love where you know you're head over heels instantly.  From that moment on, baklava was all I could think of.  When I was told I would be receiving a shipment of baklava from the king himself for review, liquid honey syrup pumped through my heart in place of blood.  I was so excited!

Not long after, two boxes showed up containing a half order of spinach and feta boreks, and a large assorted sampler of various baklava! What more could you want out of life? Nothing. Each box was wrapped with care and the contents arrived quickly and in perfect condition. 

I planned my dinner around the boreks, because I knew I couldn't control myself from trying one.  They come pre-cooked, you just have to heat them for 15-20 min in the oven at 350 degrees. 

This box holds the key to my heart.

Spinach and feta makes everything better.


How awesome do these boreks look? They made my kitchen smell delicious.  My husband came home when these were almost finished heating up and wanted to know what I was cooking because it smelled amazing! He was very delighted when he found out what was in the oven.  I love the beautiful golden brown color on top.  You can see the individual flaky layers inside too.  These boreks were square slices of heaven.  I couldn't believe how fresh they tasted for traveling over 3,000 miles! It was like they were baked moments ago and given to me. The pastry was flaky and buttery and melt in your mouth delicious.  The inside filling contained a generous amount of spinach and feta.  Spinach and feta is a fabulous combination that you can't resist.  The feta was tangy and blanketed my taste buds with rich, cheesy flavor.

Soon after, the box of baklava was calling my name.  I couldn't resist its phyllo spell over me and I knew I had to oblige.  The problem was that I wasn't sure which one to choose first.  Each one looked better than the last. The instructions said to keep the baklava in the fridge for as long as possible as the flavor gets even better if kept cold.
Keep your hands off the baklava and nobody gets hurt.

Have you ever seen anything so gorgeous in your entire life? I haven't.  It's like I won the baklava jackpot! The various flavors in the box included: pistachio, walnut, chocolate, almond/pecan, and cinnamon/walnut.  If you know me, you know I'm a chocoholic, so if you assumed I tried the chocolate first, you're right.  As soon as I took my first bite, I was on a rocket ship straight to planet baklava. You really can taste all of the flavors at once instantly.  The many layers of chewy phyllo, the crunch of the chopped nuts, the sweet sugar lemon-juice syrup that they use, and the light chocolate drizzle.  It was incredible.  My taste buds exploded like the fourth of July! I like that the baklava was made into "sticks" instead of the large triangles.  This is a scaled down version of the dessert and you don't feel as guilty for eating it.  The treat was extremely fresh and I had to control myself from digging in and just going nuts! Baklava goes excellently with a cup of tea.

I look forward to trying the rest of the baklava soon. I have no self control against it and I'm sure I will be enjoying many more pieces in the near future.  If you're looking to treat yourself this holiday season, the Baklava King is ready to have you join him in the baklava kingdom.

*DISCLOSURE* I received complimentary product in exchange for this review.  All thoughts are my own. 


2 comments :

  1. That baklava looks heavenly. Thank you for your review. I've never heard of so many flavors.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, what a fabulous array of treats! They all look and sound amazing. Great review!

    ReplyDelete